Colmar Brunton

Colmar Brunton
Name	Colmar Brunton
Industry	Market research
Founded	1986
Founder	Dick Brunton; Terry Colmar
Fate	Merged into Kantar/ceased independent brand (2019–2020)
Headquarters	Auckland, Wellington (New Zealand); Melbourne (Australia)
Products	Market research, social research, opinion polling, brand tracking, consumer insight

Colmar Brunton was a market research and social research firm established in the 1980s that operated across Australasia, providing opinion polling, consumer insight, and social policy evaluation for public and private sector clients. The firm worked with a wide range of institutions including ministries, corporations, broadcasters, and non-governmental organizations, contributing to debates involving welfare policy, electoral polling, public health campaigns, and commercial brand strategy. Over its history it interfaced with numerous international consultancies, research bodies, media outlets, and regulatory agencies.

History

Founded in the mid-1980s by practitioners with backgrounds in marketing and social statistics, the company grew during periods of economic reform and media consolidation that included interactions with entities such as Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Commonwealth Bank, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealand Herald, and The Australian. During the 1990s and 2000s it expanded alongside networks like Nielsen, Ipsos, Kantar Group, GfK, and YouGov, competing for contracts with organizations such as Ministry of Health (New Zealand), Department of Health and Human Services (Victoria), Ministry of Social Development (New Zealand), Australian Bureau of Statistics, and multinational corporations including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, and Apple Inc.. Corporate developments saw investment discussions reminiscent of deals involving Bain Capital, Mercer, Accenture, and Deloitte, and eventual integration into larger research groups with ties to WPP plc and Société Générale-linked research networks. The brand’s trajectory intersected with electoral timelines such as the New Zealand general election, 2017, Australian federal election, 2016, and policy processes like the Canterbury earthquake recovery and COVID-19 pandemic responses.

Services and Research Methods

The firm offered omnibus surveys, custom quantitative studies, qualitative research such as focus groups and in-depth interviews, and mixed-methods evaluations used by clients including World Health Organization, United Nations Development Programme, Red Cross, and provincial agencies like Auckland Council and Victoria State Government. Methodologies referenced standards common to organizations like American Association for Public Opinion Research, Market Research Society (UK), and Australian Market and Social Research Society, employing survey panels, telephone interviewing, online panels, and face-to-face interviewing comparable to approaches used by Pew Research Center, Gallup, RAND Corporation, and Brookings Institution. Analytical techniques included segmentation models used by McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, predictive modelling akin to work at IBM Watson, and conjoint analysis parallel to Harvard Business School case methods. Data governance and privacy practices were informed by frameworks associated with Office of the Privacy Commissioner (New Zealand), Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, and international standards such as ISO 20252.

Key Projects and Clients

Notable commissions spanned public sector evaluations for New Zealand Treasury, policy polling for Ministry for Primary Industries (New Zealand), campaign research for political parties like New Zealand Labour Party, New Zealand National Party, Australian Labor Party, and Liberal Party of Australia, and commercial studies for brands including Toyota, Woolworths Group, Commonwealth Bank, and Telstra. Projects included social attitude surveys linked to reports by Human Rights Commission (New Zealand), health communications work tied to Ministry of Health (Australia), consumer trend analysis for Woolmark Company, and media audience measurement for broadcasters such as Sky Network Television (New Zealand), Seven Network, Nine Network, and SBS Television. Research outputs were cited in outlets like The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The New York Times, Financial Times, BBC News, and policy papers at institutions including ANZ Bank, OECD, and Asian Development Bank.

Corporate Structure and Ownership

Originally privately held by its founders and senior partners, the company’s shareholding and governance evolved through equity arrangements and acquisitions involving corporate actors in the market research ecosystem, with strategic affiliations reminiscent of mergers involving Kantar Group, WPP, and other holding companies such as Omnicom Group and Publicis Groupe. Leadership teams included executives with experience drawn from institutions like University of Auckland, University of Melbourne, Victoria University of Wellington, and industry bodies such as Market Research Society (Australia). Board-level governance reflected standards promoted by Companies Office (New Zealand), Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and corporate law precedents shaped by cases in jurisdictions like High Court of New Zealand and Federal Court of Australia.

Geographic Presence

Operations covered metropolitan and regional offices with a footprint in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and outreach into Pacific markets including Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. The regional expansion paralleled the presence of multinational clients operating in markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and India, and enabled collaborations with research institutions like University of Sydney, Monash University, University of Otago, and public agencies including Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Controversies and Criticisms

As with many polling organisations, the company faced scrutiny over sampling frames, weighting, and accuracy following high-profile electoral surprises such as outcomes in United Kingdom general election, 2015, United States presidential election, 2016, and regional upsets like New Zealand general election, 2017. Commentators from outlets such as The Guardian, The Australian Financial Review, and Newshub debated methodology, while academic critiques published by researchers at Victoria University of Wellington, Auckland University of Technology, and University of Queensland questioned aspects of mode effects, panel attrition, and non-response bias similar to debates involving Pew Research Center and Ipsos MORI. Regulatory and ethical discussions involved standards set by Advertising Standards Authority (New Zealand), Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and privacy rulings from Office of the Privacy Commissioner (New Zealand).

Legacy and Impact on Market Research

The organisation contributed to professionalising applied social research in Australasia, influencing practices in polling and evaluation alongside institutions like Pew Research Center, Gallup, Nielsen Holdings, and academic centres at University of Auckland and University of Melbourne. Its work informed policy decisions, corporate strategy, and media reporting, and its integration into larger research conglomerates paralleled consolidation trends seen with Kantar Group, Nielsen, GfK SE, and Ipsos. Alumni went on to roles in public service at Ministry of Health (New Zealand), academic posts at University of Otago, and leadership positions in consultancies such as Accenture, Deloitte, and PwC.

Category:Market research companies